"Pete's Dragon" Remake

Bairstow

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
rreading said:
Saw it today. So, so good.

Really hope it strikes a chord with the box office
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We'll see, but it made only $7 million at the box office yesterday, even less than Disney's last remake bomb this summer, the BFG.
Marketing for Pete's Dragon has been practically non-existent. I don't expect it to do well.
 
D

doctornick

Well-Known Member
Bairstow said:
We'll see, but it made only $7 million at the box office yesterday, even less than Disney's last remake bomb this summer, the BFG.
Marketing for Pete's Dragon has been practically non-existent. I don't expect it to do well.
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They've been advertising heavily during the Olympics, so I think marketing has been far from "non-existent". Sounds like it just hasn't caught on at all despite the good reviews.

Also, The BFG wasn't a remake, not sure what you mean by that.
 
Bairstow

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
lazyboy97o said:
Another film based on the same source material is not a remake.
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I doubt very much that this distinction means anything to the moviegoing public.
Also, Dragon seems to be surpassing BFG's opening weekend, but not by much.
Unless the foreign markets really take to it, Disney's going to really eat it on this one.
Again.
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Bairstow said:
I doubt very much that this distinction means anything to the moviegoing public.
Also, Dragon seems to be surpassing BFG's opening weekend, but not by much.
Unless the foreign markets really take to it, Disney's going to really eat it on this one.
Again.
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The film's production budget was only $65 million. I wouldn't expect this to be a major write-off like BFG or Alice 2.
 
prberk

prberk

Well-Known Member
I have not seen it yet, but surprisingly good reviews have piqued my interest. I am likely to go see it now.

Perhaps it will have legs. That still happens these days. Not everything is so well-known and anticipated that it blasts through the doors on opening weekend. Although, it does seem like Disney has lost the ability to nurture a non-blockbuster film at the box office these days with slow, steady returns. It is possible, though, and some of the greatest were exactly done that way.

I seem to remember a little space film in 1977 that blasted off the screen, but did not blast off at the box office until word of mouth got around... (not saying this is going to be that big, but just that sometimes word of mouth for a good film takes a little while).
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
This may be an in-name-only remake, but even if you loved the 1977 original as a child, there's no denying this is the superior movie. If you're a fan of the quieter, more sincere Disney movies of the 70s like Candleshoe or Napoleon and Samantha, then you'd probably like this movie (as it seems most everyone does). The CGI effects are also excellent, and although I'm still not the biggest fan of this Elliott's new design, the way Weta animated and blended him into the live-action world is much better than even some bigger budget films.
 
ForeverAnna

ForeverAnna

Well-Known Member
Animaniac93-98 said:
This may be an in-name-only remake, but even if you loved the 1977 original as a child, there's no denying this is the superior movie. If you're a fan of the quieter, more sincere Disney movies of the 70s like Candleshoe or Napoleon and Samantha, then you'd probably like this movie (as it seems most everyone does). The CGI effects are also excellent, and although I'm still not the biggest fan of this Elliott's new design, the way Weta animated and blended him into the live-action world is much better than even some bigger budget films.
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The similarities to the original are superficial. Really just the very basic premise is the same.

I saw it yesterday and liked it.
 
elliot

elliot

Member
Loved the original (as you may be able to tell) and was surprised it was even chosen for the redo, reboot, do over, update, whatever treatment. I'm well aware of it's "70's era" reputation, but I have nostalgia eyes and I was cautiously optimistic. THEN, I found out it wasn't a musical, THEN I found out it was in the woods/no lighthouse, THEN I found out he was furry. UGH!
I've never been so happy to be wrong. This movie exceeded my expectations so much. The CGI is downright flawless. I laughed. I cried. The score is beautiful. It's a shame how movies are rated by the media nowadays in that no $75 million first Friday= flop. I know it's getting generally good reviews, but this movie deserves to be a surprise financially. Hopefully it gets word of mouth legs. I know I'm in for 2 more times at the theater. If you have reservations, particularly because of the original, give it a shot. It's different, in a great way, but familiar.
So far I'm in for the soundtrack, a plush Elliot, and 2 pins.
 
ElvisMickey

ElvisMickey

Well-Known Member
elliot said:
Loved the original (as you may be able to tell) and was surprised it was even chosen for the redo, reboot, do over, update, whatever treatment. I'm well aware of it's "70's era" reputation, but I have nostalgia eyes and I was cautiously optimistic. THEN, I found out it wasn't a musical, THEN I found out it was in the woods/no lighthouse, THEN I found out he was furry. UGH!
I've never been so happy to be wrong. This movie exceeded my expectations so much. The CGI is downright flawless. I laughed. I cried. The score is beautiful. It's a shame how movies are rated by the media nowadays in that no $75 million first Friday= flop. I know it's getting generally good reviews, but this movie deserves to be a surprise financially. Hopefully it gets word of mouth legs. I know I'm in for 2 more times at the theater. If you have reservations, particularly because of the original, give it a shot. It's different, in a great way, but familiar.
So far I'm in for the soundtrack, a plush Elliot, and 2 pins.
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I share your feelings about the original and my initial thoughts about the remake before seeing it. However, where we differ is that I liked the remake even less than I thought I would, which was surprising to me. As a matter of fact, I found it to be a downer up until the last 5 minutes of the movie. It just didn't feel...fun to me. I do also recognize that I seem to be in the minority. Most people/reviewers seemed to have really liked it.
 
elliot

elliot

Member
ElvisMickey said:
I share your feelings about the original and my initial thoughts about the remake before seeing it. However, where we differ is that I liked the remake even less than I thought I would, which was surprising to me. As a matter of fact, I found it to be a downer up until the last 5 minutes of the movie. It just didn't feel...fun to me. I do also recognize that I seem to be in the minority. Most people/reviewers seemed to have really liked it.
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I would agree the downer parts are down and that in general, it wasn't necessarily a "fun" movie. I do like that about the original, that it is fun and mostly upbeat. The music helps that alot. But the new one was more "feel-good" and "warm" to me. Again, the folk-sy soundtrack plays a part I'm sure. It's weird. I'm guessing it has to do with watching it now as an adult, with kids, and pets, and family as opposed to a little kid watching a cartoon. Maybe my low expectations going in contributed as well. I can't wait to see it again though. Sorry it didn't meet your expectations. I'm actually expecting to be disappointed by Beauty and the Beast, which is a serious bummer.
 
ElvisMickey

ElvisMickey

Well-Known Member
elliot said:
I would agree the downer parts are down and that in general, it wasn't necessarily a "fun" movie. I do like that about the original, that it is fun and mostly upbeat. The music helps that alot. But the new one was more "feel-good" and "warm" to me. Again, the folk-sy soundtrack plays a part I'm sure. It's weird. I'm guessing it has to do with watching it now as an adult, with kids, and pets, and family as opposed to a little kid watching a cartoon. Maybe my low expectations going in contributed as well. I can't wait to see it again though. Sorry it didn't meet your expectations. I'm actually expecting to be disappointed by Beauty and the Beast, which is a serious bummer.
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Thanks! I love the soundtrack from the original...LOVE it. And the goofiness of it was part of the charm as well. I guess that's what I felt was missing from the new one. I mean, I didn't hate it or anything, just wasn't thrilled with it. And we'll see how Beauty and the Beast is! Not sure how I feel about Emma Watson as Belle, but I do like her in general.
 
Donillary Crumpton

Donillary Crumpton

Well-Known Member
ElvisMickey said:
I share your feelings about the original and my initial thoughts about the remake before seeing it. However, where we differ is that I liked the remake even less than I thought I would, which was surprising to me. As a matter of fact, I found it to be a downer up until the last 5 minutes of the movie. It just didn't feel...fun to me. I do also recognize that I seem to be in the minority. Most people/reviewers seemed to have really liked it.
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I feel your sentiments exactly. This new version just seemed (imo) to lose most of the fun & charm of the 1977 original. I posted an in-depth breakdown of my comparisons between the remake & the classic here: (Click the spoiler bar)
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/where-in-the-world-isnt-bob-saget.895312/page-1305#post-7358301

While I thought last year's Cinderella remake, and this past spring's The Jungle Book were both able to execute new story & character developments brilliantly...while still being faithful to the feel and theme of their original counterparts... I thought the Pete's Dragon remake went too serious, and lost many of the main ingredients which made the first one memorable for me.
 
ElvisMickey

ElvisMickey

Well-Known Member
Donillary Crumpton said:
I feel your sentiments exactly. This new version just seemed (imo) to lose most of the fun & charm of the 1977 original. I posted an in-depth breakdown of my comparisons between the remake & the classic here: (Click the spoiler bar)
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/where-in-the-world-isnt-bob-saget.895312/page-1305#post-7358301

While I thought last year's Cinderella remake, and this past spring's The Jungle Book were both able to execute new story & character developments brilliantly...while still being faithful to the feel and theme of their original counterparts... I thought the Pete's Dragon remake went too serious, and lost many of the main ingredients which made the first one memorable for me.
Click to expand...

Just read through your breakdown and I agree with everything completely! I was trying my best to watch the new movie with an open mind...pretend I never even saw the original. I didn't want to dislike the remake just because it isn't the original. Regardless, the remake was bumming me out and had me wishing I was sitting in Sausage Party instead lol.
 

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